Just a month before the elections, internal wrangling within the BJP leadership over the selection of candidates for some seats and decision on alliances came to the fore at the party’s central election committee meeting on Saturday. While senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi expressed his anxiety and sought clarity on reports that he may lose his Varanasi seat to the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Sushma Swaraj once again objected to a merger or alliance with the BSR Congress led by B Sriramulu.

Meanwhile, former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who rejoined the BJP recently, was among the 52 candidates selected in the party’s second list on Saturday. Yeddyurappa, who had to resign as Chief Minister in 2011 following corruption charges, will contest from Shimoga.

Sources present at the party meeting said Joshi asked party president Rajnath Singh to clear the air on reports that the Varanasi seat may be given to Modi, saying such talk was affecting his poll preparations.

While both Singh and Modi were learnt to have heard him out, they gave no indication of their thinking on this issue. Although some sources sought to suggest that Joshi’s remarks were made in a lighter vein, the fact that the issue was raised is significant.

The party panel, however, paid heed to Swaraj’s objections to a merger or alliance with the BSR Congress, even as Karnataka BJP leaders present at the meeting tried to reason that he has no “taint” and should be fielded. Sources said the party put off a decision on the Bellary seat, which Sriramulu is known to be eyeing, after Swaraj “vehemently” opposed the move, citing his association with mining baron Janardhana Reddy who is currently in jail in an illegal mining case.

“We have conveyed Karnataka BJP’s wish that Sriramulu should be taken back into the party,” said Karnataka BJP chief Prahlad Joshi.

Party sources said “an alternative arrangement is being worked out” to accommodate Swaraj’s concerns, while getting Sriramulu to contest the elections too. These sources said that instead of a merger or alliance with the BSR Congress, the BJP may get Sriramulu to resign from the party, thus severing his ties with the party backed by the Reddy brothers, before being considered for a party ticket.

While the party announced candidates for 20 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka, sources said a decision on two other seats was put off due to a tussle over the choice of seat for Yeddyurappa confidante Shobha Karandlaje. According to sources, while the Karnataka party unit has offered Mysore, Karandlaje wants Udupi-Chikmagalur.

Among the others who have got a ticket from Karnataka are former chief minister Sadananda Gowda (Bangalore North), state party chief Prahlad Joshi (Dharwad) and party general secretary Ananth Kumar, who will be contesting against the Congress’s Nandan Nilekani from Bangalore South.

The BJP also finalised 17 candidates from West Bengal, five from Assam, three from Kerala, five from Orissa and two from Tripura. These included journalist-turned-politician Chandan Mitra (Hooghly), singer Babul Supriyo (Asansol), Badshah Alam (Tamluk), Mohammed Alam (Ghatal) from Bengal. The Assam list included three sitting MPs — Bijoya Chakraborty, Ramen Deka and Rajen Gohain — and state unit chief Sarbanand Sonowal (Lakhimpur).

With this list, the BJP has announced 106 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections so far. The party is expected to announce the bulk of the remaining seats on March 13. The party also announced 52 candidates for the Assembly elections in Orissa.

Research has been done on work.But the work of sports not everyday work.What hurts me.Is That some children at school are labeled as hyperactive.But a boss who wants workers to move heaven and earth Is labeled as normal.You really can not judge a worker by looking at him.Academic work being measured in exams.Physical work being measured by gold silver and bronze medals.But why is work the economic unit of society.Could distance speed time.Or some other Mathematical factor be the economic unit.It is clear that a day at the office is less work than a day doing agriculture.Yet there is more pay for office work than for agriculture.All work not being equal!Machines have consistently out performed men.Not only in speed.But also in accuracy and quality.It can be stated that in a growing industrial world.Machines will be a force to recon with.Pope John Paul 2 said.That. An employer should provide for the worker and his family.But I say that the employer should provide for the worker his family and give the worker a bit more.The pay of an employee should not decrease during his employ.This is a fundamental human right.Peter Carlos Hinds.Resident Scientist.

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Shyamaprasad Bhattacharjee

Mar 9, 2014 at 2:52 am

all are not quite in western front, squabbles within two big brothers would come on surface in coming days, unique combination of MAMATA and JAYLALITA in progress would soon fall apart, the people of India would make their choice in decisive manner, wait to find yourselves where you are

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Prakash K

Mar 9, 2014 at 6:25 am

Old leaders should retire from the stage and sitting behind they can do tremendous work if they love India; if they want their personality cult it will effect the BJP and the Nation. Let new generation come up. Narendra Modi is a Raajarshi of olden era. He can do wonders for the Nation in the present era also.

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Anant

Mar 9, 2014 at 7:12 am

The party - and the people - do not want him, a lifelong arrogant non-performer, to milk the system and enjoy the perks of office any more. What more clarity does he want?

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Shashichandra Desai

Mar 9, 2014 at 9:04 am

Both Advani and Joshi have ego problem.It is high time BJP should get rid of these heavy weights before it is too late.BJP should recruit atleast 30 % young members to replace all above 70 years of age.Old leaders should go the way of Pranab or Dixit.

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Sneha Sheela

Mar 9, 2014 at 1:28 am

1.MODI should contest form North, North East, South and West, then retain the most backward of all the consuencies as a PM and ReBuild the Consuency and become a Model PM MP2. MODI should release an infermercial about himself and his developmental agenda and release it. When this is pla on television across the nation @ Bus Stands, Chai Dukaans, he will get connected personally with people (chemistry) and People get connected with his develomental agenda.3.There is a need to directly address his fans in other parties to VOTE for his develomental agenda with an infermercial4.He needs to get connected with all party voters who are his admirers too